


I don't need a parachute (baby if I've got you)

by heart_nouveau



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, POV Margaery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-11 08:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3320732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heart_nouveau/pseuds/heart_nouveau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unfinished sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/896170">Could be kissing my fruit punch lips in the bright sunshine (never had a love like this)</a>. Originally written in 2013 and posted now, largely unedited.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I don't need a parachute (baby if I've got you)

**Author's Note:**

> So recently I was going through my story drafts, archiving the ones that were dead in the water, and discovered this half-written sequel to _Could be kissing my fruit punch lips_. Normally I would've set it aside, but it wasn't awful; even better, it was semi-finished (or at least, there was enough plot written for it to make sense). Some of the scenes aren't even full scenes, but you can guess what's going on.
> 
> What really interested me, though, was my take on the two characters - which was so different from how I think about them now, but no less true. I saw Margaery and Sansa as very, very young and innocent. Since this was written nearly 2 years ago in the summer of 2013, it was also a lot closer to how I felt when I was in high school. I wrote this the summer after graduating college, when I was working around the clock and just getting into fandom writing for the first time, so it's also kind of a weird time capsule in that sense.
> 
> If you didn't read the original piece (which would help), the story was that Margaery and Sansa were best friends slowly falling in love while working at Highgarden one summer. Margaery's political royalty and Sansa's not; it was supposed to be part of a greater narrative that led to Margaery following her grandmother's path into politics. She and Sansa end up being the first openly lesbian couple on the American political scene (and Loras is Margaery's campaign manager). 
> 
> I may write something in this 'verse in the future, but who knows. You can also tell how much my style has... evolved. Changed. Gone full Beyoncé. I'm just pulling stuff out of thin air here, but... this is two years old! Don't judge me for this. 
> 
> If any of this inspires you, feel free to take it and use it! What's mine is yours.

 

**1. _high school_**

Summer ended with a quiet yawn, and before they knew it they were back in school.

Margaery still hadn’t asked the question that had been weighing in her chest all summer. But people at school seemed to pick up on the changed, charged relationship between her and her best friend. 

Once Margaery would have felt awkward walking down the hall holding Sansa’s hand, but now she found that she liked it too much to let go. They weren’t kissing in public or anything, but she found herself not caring if they had.

 

* * *

 

Joffrey was there, sneering like a nasty animal. “So, I hear you’re dyking it up with Sansa Stark.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Margaery responded, a cold anger in her chest.

Joffrey smirked. “Seriously?”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a total fucknut,” Margaery said without thinking, “then you wouldn’t be offended.”

The class erupted with a delighted intake of breath. The teacher snapped his head around. “Margaery. Principal’s office— _now_.” But when Margaery turned to look at Mr. Baratheon’s face, she could see that he was concealing a smile.

She didn’t get in trouble.

 

* * *

 

Margaery frowned, lounging on the couch. “Yeah, I just… I mean, Sansa just doesn’t feel that comfortable sharing with people yet. Which I understand… I kind of feel the same way, too.”

Loras shrugged. “Fuck ‘em. Just tell her not to listen or care what other people think.”

Margaery turned her head, wriggling around sharply. “That’s not how it works, you know.” She frowned. “I don’t just, like, tell her what to do.”

“Oh?” Loras sounded a little skeptical. Margaery flushed. “No!”

Honestly, Sansa made her feel vulnerable and safe all the same time.

 

* * *

 

Fall leaves were dropping from the trees, and they were outside in a park together, sharing a thermos of tea.

Margaery turned her body to Sansa’s, curling her toes in under the hem of her dress.

“I don’t know,” Sansa said finally. “It just… it was so important to me, it felt like I just _had_ to have a boyfriend, had to be popular. Like if I achieved all that, then I would finally be happy. That’s what all the magazines said, anyway.” She gave a frustrated, sad exhale. “And it was so hard. I was trying so hard. And I guess I just thought that this was how things were, that it was always much harder than you expected, and it was part of growing up.”

Margaery was silent for a long time. 

“But then,” Sansa said, reaching out to lace her fingers with Margaery’s, “I met you, and it was so easy. It was like, being a little kid again and dreaming, only it was better because I could be grown up _and_ happy at the same time.”

Margaery felt like maybe her heart was melting, and she couldn’t find words.

“I, um, I really like kissing you,” Sansa said. “I like what we’ve been doing all summer, and… I know that maybe for you this isn’t a forever thing… but, I would really like to keep kissing you, Margaery. And… I don’t know, maybe other things, too?”

Sansa was already disappointed, had already withdrawn into herself. But Margaery couldn’t believe that after all this time, and how much she'd psyched herself out over this, that Sansa had gone and said exactly what Margaery hadn't known how to say. Sansa was so brave.

“I’d like that too,” she said, breathless.

They leaned in at the same time, and even though they’d kissed so many times before, it was different. It was warm and urgent and it felt like home.

“What other things?” Margaery teased, what felt like an eternity later.

Sansa was blushing. “Like… other things.” 

Margaery felt funny about that, like Sansa thought she was so experienced, expected her to know everything, when she had only ever kissed girls at parties and that was different, anyway. That was bold, glittering, alcohol-fueled daring, more about showing off than sexual longing, and it was the kind of sexuality that she’d learned to flaunt like a peacock. Her feelings for Sansa were totally different. They were quiet and personal, and threaded together in her chest like yarn, as soft as the sweater they were cuddled in right now.

“Sansa,” she said, heart thumping, “will you… do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Sansa giggled nervously. “That sounds so formal.”

“I know, it feels like I should have a ring or something.” Trying to quell her nervousness, Margaery turned and fumbled around in her bag before producing a pen. She carefully drew a line around Sansa’s ring finger.

“It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Sansa leaned in and kissed her under the falling leaves.

 

* * *

 

“That is _so_ gay,” Loras said later, his mouth dropping open a little. “You drew a ring on her finger with Sharpie? While cuddling in the fall leaves in your sweaters? Please tell me you were both wearing flannel and I think the lesbian trifecta will be complete.”

“I think it’s cute,” his latest boyfriend said from where he lay reclined on the sofa. He sat up and poked Loras in the side. “Where’s _my_ ring, bitch?”

“Everyone already thinks you two are dating, anyway.” Loras nodded sagely.

“I know.” Margaery went a little gooey inside just thinking about it. _My girlfriend_. She shook her head sharply. “God, I feel so cheesy, like I’m walking around with hearts in my eyes.”

“You should make her cookies,” Loras’s boyfriend suggested.

“I want to do everything for her,” Margaery said simply.

 

* * *

 

She turned, showing her brother the dress.

“That’s slutty, Margaery,” Loras said.

She laughed. “No, seriously, what do you think?”

“You look hot,” Loras said frankly. He grinned at her. “You always look hot. What else is new?”

Margaery turned, inspecting herself carefully in the mirror. Her dress looked better suited for the runway than for a school dance - technically true, since she’d purchased it from the Tracey Reese flagship boutique on a weekend trip to New York last month. She wanted to look extra special for Sansa. But it was hard sometimes, dressing to make Sansa happy (not that Sansa ever asked for that, it was something Margaery wanted to do on her own). She’d spent so much of her life dressing for boys, like armor, knowing exactly what to flaunt and how to do it. With Sansa it was harder to tell. Sansa liked Margaery no matter what she wore—whether it was cute or sexy or just plain feminine and pretty. It was kind of awesome, actually.

Sansa came to the door, and her mouth fell open a little bit. “Oh my God. Wow.”

Margaery gave her a hundred-watt smile that she didn’t quite feel. “Do you like it?”

“You look like a celebrity,” Sansa gushed, wonderstruck. She was still wearing her coat, underneath which flowed a floor-length pink chiffon something. “Let me see,” Margaery insisted, heart pounding.

Sansa pivoted slowly in her dress, like a fucking Disney princess. She looked beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Margaery couldn’t believe her eyes.

Alerie came to the door, and stopped for a moment. She bit her lip, eyes welling up.  “Oh, you girls look so stunning. I’m serious. Just gorgeous. Like two princesses.”  


* * *

 

Prom ended up being a whole bunch of high school clichés, except it wasn’t really, because they were two girls. But yes, Margaery wanted their first time to be on prom night.

Margaery wanted everything to be perfect. She’d panicked until Loras, being the best brother ever, agreed to help ready things.

Sansa’s eyes got so big when she saw the room, all decked out with roses and candles.

“I love you,” Margaery whispered. Sansa giggled, pulling away a little. “Wait, what did you say?”

“I love you,” Margaery repeated, rolling her eyes a little.

“Say it again,” Sansa commanded.

“I love you, I love you, I love you…”  


* * *

 

She got into all the colleges she wanted (based more on her name than on her excellent grades and well-rounded extracurriculars, Margaery was sure), and before she knew it, the summer had flown by.  


* * *

 

She buried her face in Sansa’s neck, willing herself not to cry. But it was too late, because when Margaery pulled away, Sansa’s eyes were red and wet, and she was sucking in upset gasps of breath.

“I’m really going to miss you,” Sansa said, struggling.

Margaery almost lost it. She never cried at goodbyes, never. But this was bad.

 

 

**2. _university_**

 

It wasn’t easy, at first. Long-distance was just as hard as everyone said.

For as out and proud as she’d been in high school, the first time her pre-law advisor asked her about a significant other, Margaery just shook her head and mumbled something non-committal. A denial. She had pictures of Sansa in her room, pictures that showed that they were clearly girlfriends—but it wasn’t information that she readily offered. She set her relationship information to private on Facebook. She liked the ambiguity of that.

She told herself that it was just to have a clean slate. But she knew that it was her Tyrell prudence, coming back to haunt her. Her parents’ words echoed in her head.

She grew close to a handsome junior in her pre-law society. Renly was tall, dark, and super hot, and she loved how thoughtful he was. He was also hilarious, and gave her priceless advice on which professors to take and which to avoid. His business frat threw the best parties, and Renly always planned them.

When Sansa came to visit in October, Margaery was suddenly worried that things would be awkward.

But when she saw Sansa coming off the train, her red hair in a flyaway braid, in an oversized sky blue sweater and her glasses, her heart warmed up. She kissed her girlfriend right there in the quad, suddenly not caring any more what anybody thought.

And when Loras came the next weekend, she introduced him to Renly, and you could practically have seen the sparks fly. Things had a funny way of working out.

 

* * *

 

Sansa sent her the best care packages, long handwritten letters with intricate flower designs doodled and colored on the margins. She folded in all sorts of beautiful things, things that reminded her of Margaery, all sorts of chocolates. Even though Sansa had always been the one with the sweet tooth, Margaery treasured them anyway.

 

* * *

 

She buried her head in Loras’s lap and moaned. “I miss her… I miss her so much.”

“This is pathetic,” Loras said kindly.

“I know.”

It was nothing that two bottles of white wine and an entire repertoire of Bogart and Bacall films couldn’t get them through, though. That was their typical Tyrell sibling solution.

 

* * *

 

Sansa hesitated. For a moment Margaery thought maybe it was the Skype connection breaking up. Then she said, in a flat and small voice, “I kissed someone.”

The bottom of Margaery’s stomach plummeted. All the breath in her lungs seemed to escape at once in one great whoosh.

“Margaery?” Sansa said in a tiny voice.

“I just—I was drunk, and I just—wanted to see what it was like.” Sansa paused. “It was really stupid and I’m sorry, Margaery, I’m sorry.”

“Do you like him?” Margaery said coldly. “Do you love him? Is that all you did, kiss?”

“I… I do like him,” Sansa admitted.

“Fine,” Margaery snapped, tears coloring her voice. “Have fun with your new boyfriend, just—”

“Margaery—" 

She disconnected the call.

 

* * *

 

It was a very long semester. Margaery did nothing but study, study, study. She went to the library every day after classes.

She got the best grades in her life, and was the least social she had ever been. Loras and Renly were seriously concerned about her, and dragged her to more than one party. Loras tried to coax her out shopping.

Even her grandmother was worried, as she showed up at Margaery’s dormitory one day and announced that they were going for lunch.

“You look like a ghost!” she exclaimed. “Margaery, for heaven’s sake.”

“I’m doing very well in school,” she said listlessly.

“Well, contrary to how it might seem, there is a little more to life than just that,” Olenna said crisply.

“I know you love that girl,” Olenna said, a little more softly. “But, Margaery. You need to consider the fact that maybe it’s over and done with.”

Margaery didn’t say anything.

“There’s a ball coming up,” Margaery’s grandmother said at last, “a fundraiser. Now, I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. But I would like very much to see my beautiful granddaughter there, on the arm of another political child. Any man, or woman, or living creature that you’d like. Whatever it is that you’d prefer. They just have to come from a good family.”

Margaery laughed without mirth. “A man, I guess. It’s only Sansa, she’s the only woman I…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. It hurt too much.

Her grandmother reached across the table and squeezed her hand with a firm, yet comforting grip. “Get yourself together, girl. Put your face on. Sometimes we have to pretend until these things come true. God knows we don’t always feel it.”

 

* * *

 

It was Christmas time, and Margaery knew that Sansa had returned to their hometown.

It was in the parking lot of the mall that Margaery saw her, the familiar flash of red hair under a hat. She was with her older brothers.

Margaery couldn’t help herself. She froze right where she was, staring.

One of the brothers raised his head. Robb, who had been in her grade in school. He turned his head and said something to Sansa, who turned in kind. She said something to her brothers, and then came towards Margaery.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello, Sansa,” Margaery said in a cold voice.

Sansa looked down at her boots, and sighed heavily. “I… was worried you’d be like this.”

“Like what, exactly?”

“Margaery,” Sansa said, pain in her voice, “you pretended that I didn’t exist for your entire first semester of college.”

“Yes, but I didn’t cheat on you!” Margaery cried.

“Margaery!” Sansa looked absolutely stricken.

“Well that’s what it’s called, isn’t it, when you kiss somebody else?”

She could see Sansa’s brothers out of the corner of her eye, shuffling their feet and pretending not to be listening. She probably sounded fucking crazy, but that’s what Sansa did to her. That’s what love did to her.

“Margaery…” Sansa took a deep breath. “Margaery, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But…” She took another breath. “I just… I wanted to know what it was like. I’d never been with a boy who wasn’t… well, you know. Any boy who wasn’t horrible. And it was so stupid. I wanted to see if it would be different, with a boy. You’ve been with so many people, you know.”

“So, what, I’m a slut?”

“No!” Sansa’s entire body was shaking. “You just—you just have done so much, Margaery, and I’ve done so little, and…”

“Well, was it different? With a guy.”

“Yes. It was different. But it wasn’t any good. Because he wasn’t you.” 

Now Margaery was crying, like an idiot. Sansa stared at her, tears starting in the corners of her own eyes, until they were both in tears.

“Can we go inside?” Margaery said at last. “It’s fucking freezing out here.”

Sansa reached out her hand, a silent _yes_. And Margaery took it.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> My original notes for the two characters are below:
>
>>   * Modern AU Sansa headcanon: She dresses super nicely and always takes care of herself. Then when she goes to college, she loosens up a little. She adores Kate Middleton, loves to read Vogue, and is always up on all the designers’ names. She is very gentle and kind and imaginative, and always sees the best in people. She cries easily at movies, but doesn’t have the standard romcom taste you would expect. She’s become a bit of a film snob, thanks to her stepbrother Jon. She should be really good at whatever she studies… maybe she could even be wanting to be a doctor.
>>   * Modern AU Margaery headcanon: She has plenty of energy, and is as charming as can be. But all of her secret anxieties are quelled by Sansa (and she should have some big ones). She’s very sex-positive and not ashamed about it, but everything with Sansa is kind of new and different. She doesn’t always feel comfortable with her sexuality, or in her own skin. Sansa always makes her feel better, saying plainly that she is beautiful, absolutely beautiful, like it could never even be a question. She had only kissed girls before at parties. She can be a little mean and petty, digging in at her family sometimes, because she can get away with it.
>> 

> 
> Looking back on these makes me :') a little because it's probably closer to getting inside these girls' adolescent heads than anything I could write now. There's so much focus on their insecurities, how much they're figuring things out, how uncertain they are about everything.
> 
> There were two more sections that I didn't end up writing - **iii. postgrad/grad school** and **iv. career women**. The girls get back together, of course.
> 
> Title from 'Parachute' by Ingrid Michaelson, which fits with the cheesy theme I had going on with the title of the original fic.


End file.
